The price we pay
by PerfectionIsntSexy
Summary: AU. Children with self-destructing genes are engineered. They will die on their twenty-first birthdays, unless they pay for special medication. And, of course, it's very, very expensive…Santana needs the money. Brittana!
1. Happy birthday!

"Happy Birthday!" people screamed as Santana opened the door to her home. A surprise party, typical. Santana loves the family she has left and all of her friends, but her birthday wasn't something she felt like celebrating, especially not her 20th. But she put on a smile and went around the room thanking people and accepting gits they brought. That was a good thing, she figured the more gifts she got, the more she could make when she sold them. It wasn't like she was ungrateful, because she truly did appreciate every single gift she was handed but she knew that these gifts would help save her life. In fact, everybody in the room probably knew what would happen to these gifts once they were handed over. Santana Lopez had just turned 20, which meant she only had one more year to live.

"San, babe are you okay?" Brittany asked while walking towards the brunette

"I'm fine." Santana said while forcing out a smile, only to have it falter when Brittany took her hand.

"You don't look fine." The blonde said sadly, "It's your birthday. You're supposed to be happy."

"How can I be happy Britt? I'm..I'm scared." The latina said with a sigh. Only Brittany knew how scared she truly was of birthdays, and she had a very good reason to be afraid.

"Santana, I know you are. But I promise you, we're going to get the money okay? We will. Then everything will be fine. We still have another year!" Brittany said sadly but with enthusiasm at the fact they still had one more year.

"But what happens after that? What happens when we're broke then, and you turn 21?" Santana said while unshed tears filled her eyes.

"San, baby, you need to stop worrying. Our parents did it right? So we can too." Santana nodded slowly, it was true. Both of their parents had made it, and they were still alive and going strong. But Santana wasn't like her parents, she wasn't a doctor and didn't own her own law firm. And she wasn't in contact with her parents, and hadn't been since she was 12. So, a 20 year old Santana Lopez and her 19 year old girlfriend Brittany need money. If in one year they don't have $500,000, Santana will die.

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**I know there isn't much detail into how, or why they need the money. But If I continue, all will be explained! Review :D**


	2. Accepting fate

Yesterday a very scared Santana Lopez turned 20. Her job as a photographer wouldn't be enough, not even the money Brittany had from the Dance studio she owns with Mike would be enough. Santana was fully prepared to accept that she would never make it past her 21st, but what she wasn't ready to accept, was that Brittany wouldn't. Sure she was all badass and hardcore, but not when it came to Brittany, how could 2..practically kids, raise $1 million dollars to keep them both alive? Santana and Brittany's family had prepared for this. Santana's grandparents and siblings had a trust fund set up for her before she was even born, and the last time she checked, she had around $150,000. Still not enough, Brittany's parents however had stuck around unlike Santana's and seemed more than prepared, Brittany had exactly $354,936. Santana was no mathematician, but she knew that the money combined would be enough...for one of them. Brittany had insisted it would be spent on Santana and they, together would get Brittany's money. That would leave them only a year to gather up the money for Brittany. Santana, according to Brittany was simply 'pessimistic' But Santana called herself realistic. 10 years ago it was easy to pay, but over the years the price of the injections had gone up..and up, and up. To the point where only the rich could live, and there wasn't a damn thing you could do about it. Your own body would simply give up on you. Self destructing genes activated by the hormones released on the 21st birthday meant your body..gave up. Organs would simply stop working. Unless of course you had the injection, which apparently killed off the cancerous like genes, allowing the body to resume normal functioning until you came to a natural death. This was a fate Santana had accepted since her grandmother had informed her of. She was more than willing to die for Brittany, who speaking of which was making Santana the most amazing meal she possibly could to cheer her up. She was almost cheery, because that's just what being with Brittany did to her. She was almost happy, until the TV she was watching automatically switched to the news. Every so often this happened, it meant something big, important, and probably scary thing had happened in he world.

"Breaking news from Crimson International!" the TV blasted around the room Crimson International, a company set up by a scientist who now happens to the be h most powerful man in the world. Drake Crimson literally had the world at his feet, every word that fell from his obnoxious mouth made it to the news. He started off with experiments, which eventually led to him somehow poisoning water supplies with a virus. A virus that infected the genes, causing them to falter and fight against themselves. His terrorist like attack on the nation couldn't be stopped, he refused to supply the anti-virus to those who wouldn't pay. His demands were met by millions, and those who didn't pay? Well as promised, they died. Essentially leaving only people who did carry the gene alive. A gene that passed down through generations, a gene that kept him powerful. Presidents, majors and prime ministers were gone. Now instead there was a ruler of the world. He replaced the police force with his own group of thugs, all health care became private and very expensive, anybody who posed a threat was killed. Entire countries had been invaded, innocent people killed without remorse. Nobody could stop him, that stage passed by far to long ago. Remember the times the courts would give you a fair chance? Innocent until proven guilty? The police would protect you? You could stay out as late as you liked? You could drink, and drive (not together of course.) at 21?.

Not anymore. Courts were stopped, anything could happen, Nobody was protected, you were guilty and you were killed. Anybody found on the streets beyond 10pm, could be killed. Anybody talking about the Crimsons and his organisation was killed. The more you talked about it, the worse it became. So as expected, people just stopped talking. They didn't have a choice, the interenet was monitored 24/7, phone calls everywhere were listened too, they had cameras everywhere. Sometimes even inside your own home. Santana hoped there was any in hers because she would be first to admit that she had broken a few of these rules, but she also wouldn't want her reaction to the news to been seen either.

"Crimson International has today relieved that the anti-virus vaccinations are running out. Drake Crimson said he and his team would be working on developing more immidetly" but also stated that he could make no promises. Value of vaccinations is now rumoured to rise rapidly as numbers of the llife saving injection is now life threateningly low." Then the TV simply switched back to what she was watching as though that interview hadn't just cost no doubt thousands, if not millions of people's lives. Santana sat frozen to the spot. What was she going to do now? She thought she would be okay with dying, but now the possibility of it hit her like a truck. What if she does before she managed to get one for Brittany? What if they didn't buy the injections now and waited..to find there would no longer be a cure? What if Brittany died because Santana couldn't save her?

She had to think of something, and had to think of it quick. The 364 days she had left no longer seemed like enough.

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**Sorry if this chapter sucks! I just tried to in the idea of how this new world was! Wrote it outon my phone so sorry about spelling mistakes! Also, no I do not have a beta, but feel free to offer! Where would you like to see the story go? Prefer to write humour stories and don't think I could handle angst! But if that's what you guy want:) REVIEW.**


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